


I Will Always Catch You

by kramer53



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: ... or will it?, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, F/F, I'll probably change the summary later, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor-centric, Kidnapping, don't worry everything will turn out okay, don't worry lena isn't a damsel in distress, fluff in some parts, honestly idk anymore, is this even good? probably not, maybe the title too, she'll do some badass science shit later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-11-13 23:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11195889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kramer53/pseuds/kramer53
Summary: “I called for you.” Tears welled up in Lena’s eyes, but none fell. “I screamed your name and you didn’t answer.“You told me that you would always catch me. Why didn’t you?”----Was "Disappeared Without a Trace"Now "I Will Always Catch You"





	1. Run

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how good this actually is.

The bright screen of Lena’s computer burned her eyes in the dark room. She blinked quickly, but the burning sensation persisted. She suppressed a yawn and pressed her palms to her aching eyes.

It was late. Everyone had gone home long ago—even Jess, but only after Lena insisted profusely. L-Corp was eerily quiet with its emptiness, and Lena’s typing was the only sound that had breached the silence.

Lena sighed and removed her hands. Instead of returning her gaze to the computer, she stared into the shadows of her office. The only source of light came from her steadily buzzing computer and a desk lamp that illuminated the business papers strewn across it. This late at night, she preferred to work by lamplight, despite the many protests from both Jess and Kara. Kara claimed that this was why Lena needed glasses—and why Lena _should_ be wearing the ones she already has.

Lena glanced at the clock. 12:46. A small groan escaped her. She had stayed a lot later than she had originally intended. Kara would be worried.

At the thought of Kara, a small smile flickered across her lips. She could just imagine the way the alien’s brow would crinkle at Lena’s blatant disregard of her own health. Kara would try to look angry, only for it to look more like a pout.

Lena looked back at the clock again. Kara was probably already asleep. Sometimes she would fight sleep to see Lena return home, but tomorrow (well, _technically_ today) Kara had an important interview with the president.

Her desk lamp flickered.

Despite herself, her breath caught in her throat at the sudden disturbance. She chuckled airily.

“Note to self: get new batteries for lamp.”

Lena sighed once more and began to shuffle her papers into a neat pile.

“I guess I’ll take that as a sign to go home then,” she mumbled. Her voice was hoarse from several hours of disuse.

The lamp flickered again.

A spike of fear shot through her. _Stop being so jumpy_ , Lena reprimanded herself. She breathed in deeply to calm her racing pulse.

It didn’t work.

She found herself frozen. Listening. All she could hear was her rapid heartbeat.

Something was wrong. She could feel it. Something was… _watching her._

Her hair stood on end. It prickled in anticipation.

 _There!_ A noise. A tapping. On glass. Behind her. The window. Her balcony.

No. Her imagination.

Lena looked down at her hands. They were grasping the arms of the chair so tightly that her knuckles were pale white.

She released her grip, stretching her fingers out as far as they would go, but keeping her palms firmly against the arms.

Another deep breath and she pushed herself up and out of the chair. Her back groaned in protest, but the cracks it made as she stretched out felt amazing on her cramped bones. She needed to get home and snuggle up to Kara. That would calm her down.

Lena recalled something she read a while back about ghosts. Back before electricity, back before people had things like iPads and iPhones and TVs and computers, people would see ghosts all the time. When the mind got bored, it would create things to get adrenaline pumping. It would create ghosts. Ghouls. Werewolves. Vampires—

The thumping against the glass again. The lamp flickered.

Her whole body tensed.

“Just your mind messing with you, Lena,” she reminded herself. She let out a short, huffy chuckle.

That was another thing. When you’re scared, you try to blow it off. You ramble. You laugh. You act like everything's okay when it is so obviously _not_ but the fear keeps going keeps climbing inside of you up and up and up and you just keep talking talking talking talking; talking to yourself, talking to the people around you—just _talking_. Anything to keep the fear at bay.

She was humming. When did she start humming? It was an NSYNC song. She couldn’t recall the name, but she knew it was one of Kara’s favorites. Why?

Lena knew why. To make up for the silence. Distract herself. Convince herself that everything was normal.

She leaned over the desk, planning to turn off the computer. The pointer hovered over the shutdown button. Her finger twitched against the mouse.

Maybe she would leave it on. For light when she would turn off the lamp. Yeah.

Mind made up, Lena grabbed her purse, whirled around to push the chair out of her way and leave—

 _There was someone in the window_.

Lena’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened. Body tensed. Mouth fell agape in a soundless scream. Face twisted in mind numbing fear.

And then the lamp flickered out.

And the balcony door eased open.

Lena scrambled back. The figure slowly advanced. The computer’s soft glow illuminated the intruder. A man. She saw huge goggles covering his face, wires branching off them, sparking sporadically.

His hand twitched. Lena flinched at the sudden quick movement. She stumbled.

The computer flickered.

She tripped.

Fell.

The computer flickered faster now, strobing violently; flashing flashing—

Dead.

The room descended into complete and utter darkness. Lena couldn’t see.

She back pedaled away from the man as quickly as she could. Her back hit the wall. He was closing in. She scrambled for purchase against the wall, using it to stand once more.

 _Think, Lena,_ think _!_

She pushed against the wall—hard—and sprinted towards the door.

He was closer than she thought. His arm reached out, hand grabbing her arm roughly.

The sudden change in direction snapped her whole body back. She stumbled again, but quickly gained her footing.

He pulled her closer.

A small scream escaped her. Fear seized her heart and held it like a vice. Blood roared in her ears. She slammed her elbow back. It connected. He sucked in a breath. Let go of her arm.

Lena broke away and sprinted toward the door once more. This time she escaped.

She could already hear him hot on her tail, not far behind.

The corridor was dark—darker than her office. The shadows seemed to curl along the walls and reach for her, coiling around her legs, tripping her.

Where to go? Hide or run? Which would guarantee a greater chance of survival?

No time. Go.

Staircase. Run.

Lena slammed the stair door open with a loud crash and stumbled into the stairwell. The confined space echoed her frantic breathing. It consumed her. 

She flew down the stairs, heels clacking loudly against the marble.

She kicked the shoes off.

The door opened again.

Lena was a flight ahead. Only twenty-three more floors to go.

Her lungs burned. Chest ached. Ribs poked into her sides.

How close was he? His footsteps sounded right behind her. She could feel him breathing down her neck, taunting.

Fifteen more floors.

Maybe she was imaging it. Maybe he was much farther away.

Ten more floors.

Her legs throbbed. She _really_ needed to run more.

Nine more floo—

Lena halted abruptly, nearly throwing herself down the steps.

At the end of the landing was a pair of glowing ruby eyes. A low, hostile rumbling began to echo off the concrete walls.The growling crescendoed until it transformed into a menacing roar.

The eyes started to bound toward her at a rapid pace. She could hear the sounds of giant claws scratching against the steps, no doubt leaving ragged, scar-like indents in the marble.

Lena screamed.

She dashed back up the stairs. The first door she reached, she pulled open, then immediately turned around and slammed it closed.

The creature threw itself against it, rattling the entire frame.

Her legs gave out from underneath her.

She had seen the beast, just briefly, before she had closed the door. It had been dog-like, but the size of a small horse. It’s glowing demon eyes had illuminated it’s gaping, iron toothed maw. She had seen the gears move and wires spark.

_It was a robotic hellhound._

The door shuddered again against the beast’s weight.

An eerie howl arose from it, sounding more like a crackling intercom than a wolf’s howl. It sent shivers down Lena’s spine. Several similar calls responded.

Her entire body shook. Her skin flashed hot, then ice cold.

Lena forced herself back up. She had to get away from the door. Hide somewhere. Contact Kara.

She rushed into the farthest office from the door. She reached for her purse, only to find that she no longer had it. It must have fallen from her grip at some point.

Frantically, she searched for a phone in the darkness of the room. There was one on the desk.

Her hand trembled as she picked it up.

Lena’s shaking hands hastily punched in Kara’s number, fingers moving blindly in the pitch black…

Only for the phone to be dead silent.

It didn’t work.

She darted to another office. That phone didn’t work either.

Dread washed through her. Her heart was stuck in her throat. Her eyes stung. No. She would _not_ cry.

Lena let loose a strangled sound, and began to run to another office with the false hope that _maybe, just maybe_ that phone would work.

The stairwell door crashed open.

Lena spun toward the sound.

At the very end of the corridor, three robotic hellhounds had rushed in.

As soon as they caught sight of her, they released their ear screeching howls. They bounded towards her, scrambling over each other in their eagerness.

Lena gasped. The sound caught in her throat. She turned on her heel. She sprinted to the end of the corridor, and through the glass door and out onto the balcony.

The cold night air bit at her skin. It froze the lump that had formed deep within her throat.

She looked fleetingly back. The hounds were almost upon her.

They crashed through the glass. The shattering sound was dull in her ears. Like she was underwater.

Lena didn’t think.

She jumped.


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara wakes up to find out that Lena never returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. Sorry it took so long to update. My muse went in and out, and there was something that just didn't satisfy me about the chapter. I managed to find out what it was and fix it (thankfully). Hopefully the longer chapter will make up for how long it took me to update.
> 
> Also: was "Disappeared Without A Trace." Now it's "I Will Always Catch You."
> 
> If I'm being honest? The stuff at SDCC is probably what made me finish this. Just out of spite. I can't quite see SC as the same anymore for some reason. It hurts. I'm hoping I'll get past it and that I can love this ship like I used to. Maybe reading some other fics will help me. Don't worry though, I'll still write this fic. I have no intention of abandoning it. 
> 
> Sorry, I ended up rambling there for a bit. Anyway. Go. Go read this. Stop reading me spew random words.

**_Two years ago_ **

 

Kara could listen to Lena talk all day. She loved the way Lena’s eyes would light up, how she would gesture animatedly when talking about a new device she was working on, as if the very act of waving her hands around would produce the technology right then and there. Sometimes, Kara believed that it did.

Lena could capture the attention of everyone in a room just by walking in. She could make people believe almost anything with her her sharp wit. She was an aura of power and determination, but behind closed doors she was someone else entirely. She was nerdy and energetic, almost like a child who just figured out something new and fascinating about the world around her. 

“Have you ever wanted to fly?” Kara interrupted Lena’s rambling about an annoying intern in R&D that thought he knew more about a device than she did.

“I…” Lena trailed off, exasperated expression falling off her face like a waterfall to give way to one of curiosity. “Fly? Kara, darling, you know I absolutely _despise_ flying.”

Kara shook her head. She grabbed her girlfriend’s hands in her own, and pulled Lena closer.

“No, I mean _fly_ -fly.”

Lena just gaped, but her heart fluttered at the excitement in Kara’s blue hues.

“You know what? That was a stupid thing to ask.” Kara retracted her hold on Lena and looked away, the bright light in her eyes being replaced by something far darker. She briefly reached up to adjust her glasses before returning her hands to her lap. “I was going to take you on some long romantic flight in my arms or something; fly you way up high to see the city lights and the stars, but you’re obviously not comfortable with it I _know_ that I shouldn’t have asked. I’m so, so sorry. Agh, I just—”

“—Kara.” Lena put a comforting hand on Kara’s cheek, bringing Kara’s gaze back. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“ _Yes_ , I do. I suggested something you’re uncomfortable with.” She took a deep, shaky breath.

Before she could start rambling again, Lena smiled. “I’m a lot less uncomfortable with it if I’m in your arms. A machine, I can’t trust. But you?” Lena ran her thumb along Kara’s cheek. “I trust you with my life.”

She leaned in and kissed Kara, short and sweet. When she pulled away and rested her forehead against Kara’s, Kara was looking at Lena with more love than she had ever seen directed at her.

“Lee,” she paused for a beat. “That’s gay.”

Lena bit her lip. “Says the girl who wants to take me on a romantic flight— _literally_.”

Kara laughed, “Touché.”

With that laugh, Lena was convinced Kara could light up the entire world. It was filled with so much mirth; a stark contrast to Lena’s, which very rarely saw the light of day. Kara was one of the few people who could make her laugh— _truly_ laugh.

“Shall we?”

Kara moved from her position on the couch to stand in front of Lena. She bowed dramatically and offered Lena her hand, lips twitching into a smile.

Lena rolled her eyes.

“We shall,” she said, holding back a wide grin and taking a hold of Kara’s hand. Kara pulled her up and led her out and onto the balcony.

“Shouldn’t you suit up?” She gestured vaguely at Kara, still in her civilian clothes.

Kara shook her head. “I want to be Kara when I do this. Not Supergirl.

“Alex will kill me later, but,” she shrugged non-committedly, “It’ll be worth it.”

She placed her hands on Lena’s waist. Then she crouched down, trailing her hands down Lena’s legs and to her heels.

Kara heard Lena’s heartbeat pick up and breathing hitch.

“I wouldn’t particularly _mind_ you being Supergirl right now,” Lena muttered. Kara flushed at the implications, but didn’t falter.

She coaxed Lena out of the shoes, setting them aside, then ran her hands back up to her waist, never once separating from Lena’s body.

She slipped under Lena’s blazer. Kara moved up, slowly, to her shoulders, then down her arms, helping Lena shrug the blazer off.

The cool night autumn breeze tickled Lena’s bare arms. She closed her eyes, soaking in the feel of Kara and only Kara. She shivered as Kara trailed up and released her hair from its tight bun. It fell down onto her shoulders, ruffling slightly in the breeze.

Then Kara’s hands fell back around her waist.

Lena finally opened her eyes and looked up at Kara.

“Put your arms around my neck.” She did as Kara commanded.

“Do you want to go fast or slow?” Kara asked, once Lena held securely on.

Lena smirked. “I’d choose your words more carefully, Ms. Danvers.”

Kara blushed darkly. “Shut up and answer,” she grumbled.

“Slow,” Lena chuckled. Her voice trembled a little bit. “I don’t like flying, remember?”

Kara nodded, a small, loving smile gracing her lips. Lena stared in wonderment, biting her lip. With that smile, Lena put her utmost trust in Kara. Lena knew that, no matter what happened, Kara would always be there to protect her. Kara would never intentionally harm her. And that was what she conveyed only with a smile.

Lena could go on for days about what her eyes told her, what her ramblings to her, what her body language and endless romantic gestures and constant care for Lena told her.

They steadily lifted off the ground.

Lena’s grip tightened.

“It’s okay,” Kara grinned reassuringly.

Lena took a deep breath and nodded. “Keep going.”

Higher and higher they went, past the top of L-Corp and into the open night sky. Lena looked around in awe. It was one thing seeing the city from the ground, or maybe from her balcony, but it was another thing seeing it from a bird’s eye view.

It was beautiful. Stunning.

Lena squeezed Kara tighter when she faced her again.

“Thank you,” she grinned, staring deep into Kara’s bright blue eyes.

“For what?” Kara flashed a smile that made Lena fall in love with her all over again.

“For showing me this.” She smirked. “For not letting me fall.”

Kara looked down at Lena, suddenly serious.

“I would never let you fall, Lena Luthor,” Kara whispered. “And if you do,” she tucked a stray strand of hair behind Lena’s ear, “ _I will always catch you._ ”

* * *

**_Present day_ **

Light filtered through the blinds as the sun rose steadily into the sky. Kara threw an arm over her eyes to block out the brightness. She groaned and turned over, fully intending to bury her face into the crook of Lena’s neck, only to be met with air.

She removed her arm and blinked lazily at the spot Lena should be occupying.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Lee?” Kara called out.

Silence.

She tried again. “Lena?”

Still, no reply.

Kara sat up and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. The bed next to her was cold. Undisturbed.

Maybe Lena fell asleep at the office.

The thought didn’t stop the little voice in the back of her head from telling her something was wrong.

Kara checked her phone. No missed calls or messages from Lena.

Odd. Her breath caught in her throat. Lena always texted her when she didn’t think she would make it home.

Kara dialed Lena’s number. She held the phone up to her ear and listened to it ring.

With each ring, the dread in Kara’s gut grew and grew. It crawled through her body, up her throat, clawing her insides to shreds as the seconds slowly ticked by.

Voicemail.

Kara called again.

No answer.

She couldn’t breathe. Maybe she was overreacting. _Surely_ she was overreacting.

She climbed quickly out of bed. In no time, she was dressed as Supergirl and flew out of their apartment, towards L-Corp.

She landed on Lena’s balcony in record time, barely allowing her feet to touch the ground before she rushed into the office.

The fact that the balcony door was slightly ajar did nothing to quell her rising panic.

Lena’s chair was pushed out, far away from her desk. Atop the smooth surface sat an orderly stack of papers, and a laptop that was open just a crack.

The cleanness of it all gave her chills.

Kara felt like she was moving through water as she rounded the desk. Her footsteps were heavy; her suit burdensome.

What Kara saw forced a strangled cry from the back of her throat.

And, in the middle of the room, splayed out on the floor, was Lena.

Kara’s entire body went numb.

Everything about Lena lying there just seemed so… _unnatural_. She gazed unendingly up at the ceiling, head lolled abnormally to the side.

She wasn’t moving.

Her chest didn’t rise and fall steadily with her breathing. Muscles didn’t twitch. No heartbeat.

She was completely—totally—limp.

_This isn’t real. It can’t be._

Kara rushed to her side.

Lena’s beautiful green eyes, once filled with light and immeasurable intelligence, were dull. They gazed emptily at Kara.

Kara fell to her knees, hands reaching out to touch Lena’s face—to run her thumb along her girlfriend’s cheek and tell her that it would be alright.

She stopped just before making contact, letting her hand hover there, centimeters away.

Kara scrambled for her phone. She had to call Alex.

She ignored the ringing tones, straining her ears for the familiar beat of Lena’s heart. She was desperate, grasping wildly at straws for evidence that Lena was at least still alive.

All Kara could hear was her own heartbeat flooding her ears.

“ _Kara? Hello?_ ”

Alex had answered. She sounded groggy.

“Alex,” Kara breathed. She clutched the phone harder in her hands. She vaguely acknowledged the sound of the device creaking in protest. “Alex. Lena- it’s Lena. Lena.”

“ _Kara? What’s going on? What about Lena?_ ”

She choked on a sob. “ _Alex_. She didn’t- she didn’t come home last night. I called her and she d-didn’t answer and now I’m here at L-Corp and everything's a mess and she’s—” Kara faltered. She couldn’t get the words past her lips. Saying it would make it true. Uttering that simple, _simple_ word would force this nightmare to become reality. How could a four letter word hold so much meaning, so much power? How could it completely destroy you; rip you up from the inside out until nothing remained but a hollow shell—a ghost of your former self?

“ _She’s dead, Alex!_ ” Her voice was shrill. “ _Lena’s dead_.”

Kara threw the phone across the room, and just _collapsed_.

She folded in on herself, bending over Lena. Her entire body heaved, hitched forward with the force of her pain.

An agonized wail tore her throat to shreds. It was like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. Kara struggled for air as she reached to grasp Lena’s lifeless hand in hers, pulling it up to her chest where the House of El’s crest was.

Kara was so lost at how their perfect life could come crashing down around her in the tenth of a second. She had seen Lena just yesterday. They had had lunch together. They had laughed and talked and kissed. They had made plans to go to an art gallery that coming weekend.

Now Kara would never see Lena again. She wouldn’t have lunch with her. They wouldn’t laugh or talk or kiss. They wouldn’t go to art galleries anymore.

Nothing felt real. Surely this was all a dream. Lena couldn’t truly be gone. There was no way.

That was the only thought that bounced around in her head. It echoed loudly, overwhelming all of her senses. _There was no way_.

It felt like an eternity before Alex arrived, followed by a team of DEO agents.

Kara paid them no heed.

Alex quickly rattled off orders, and they split up to search the building. Once the two sisters were alone, Alex dropped down and wrapped her arms around Kara’s limp form.

“Kara,” she whispered. “Kar, talk to me.”

Kara turned to bury her head into the crook of Alex’s neck, but her hold on Lena didn’t lessen. Alex murmured soothingly in her ear, rubbing soft circles on her skin, until her agonized wails turned to pitiful whimpers, and her body ceased its violent hitches.

There was only one thing Alex had ever seen Kara cry like this over: Krypton. Kara had watched her home die in front of her very eyes. Now she was losing another home. She was losing the love of her life.

Alex couldn’t even imagine what this was like. If she were to lose Maggie… She couldn’t even begin to think that way.

The sisters sat together, Kara’s muffled sobs and Alex’s whispered words the only sounds exchanged in the haunted room. When the medical team arrived, Kara refused to part with Lena’s body. She climbed into the back of a cramped van, hand still grasping tightly onto Lena’s, and rode all the way to the DEO without uttering a single word.

By the time they got there, Kara was no longer crying. Her eyes were dull and empty, staring at Lena’s equally empty, lifeless green hues. Alex didn’t have the heart to reach over and shut Lena’s eyes. That was something Kara would have to do. Because shutting her eyes would be admitting that Lena was truly dead. It would be admitting that Kara was alone once again in this vast universe.

But she wasn’t alone. Alex was here. Alex would always be here. There, in that cramped standard issue DEO van, Alex made a promise: she would stick by Kara through this whole ordeal. She would not let Kara believe that she had lost another Krypton. She would not let her spiral into insanity at her lost love.

The medical team moved to retrieve Lena’s body from the back of the van. Kara, however, still clung to her like she was her lifeline. And she probably was.

It took a bit of coaxing, but Alex was able to convince Kara to let the team take Lena into the DEO. Inside, they would perform an autopsy. Find out exactly how Lena had died.

Unfortunately, Alex had a pretty good guess as to how. And it wasn’t one that she wanted Kara to ever know. It would destroy her. But it was also her right to know, and lying to her would only serve to deepen the wound Alex could already see reopening.

Alex led Kara deep within the DEO to a set of rooms filled with rows of beds. She had spent many nights there in years past when work pushed her too hard. Kara didn’t utter a single word the entire way.

Alex retrieved a pair of sweats and a comfortable shirt, handing them to her sister to change into. She watched Kara go through the monotonous routine of changing out of her suit and into civilian clothing. Kara didn’t even use super speed. She lacked the usual bubbliness in her movements. Instead, she was slow and unbalanced; uncoordinated.

“Sleep,” Alex told Kara, patting the perfectly made bed. “I’ll wake you up when we know more.”

Kara stared at her sister, and Alex’s heart dropped. Her eyes were glazed over, and she barely acknowledged that Alex was there. Kara wasn’t even looking _at_ her—she was looking _through_ her.

“ _Sleep_ ,” Alex urged again. She reached out to grasp Kara’s forearm affectionately, but quickly retracted her hand when Kara flinched at the contact.

The Girl of Steel fell onto the mattress, arms wrapped tightly around her torso, legs tucked up to her chest, and allowed her eyes to flutter closed.

Alex stayed around a bit longer until she was sure Kara was fast asleep. She hated the idea of leaving Kara, but there was work to do. She was going to find out who killed the woman she loved as a sister, and who hurt her real sister by doing so. And when she did find them, there would be no one in the world—no one in the universe—that could stop the wrath of Alex Danvers from raining down upon them.

* * *

  
L-Corp was overrun with DEO agents posing as the FBI. Employees were refused entry and given the week off. The entire building was a crime scene; a crime scene Detective Maggie Sawyer was determined to figure out.

“Look,” Maggie said, pointing at the bottom of the landing. “Claw marks.” She then moved carefully up the stairs, noting each nick in the smooth marble. “Something big ran through here. And it was chasing Ms. Luthor.”

“A dog?” Agent Valdez inquired.

Maggie shook her head. “No, look. The indents are too deep—too wide.” She ran a finger along one of the jagged lacerations. “It has to be some kind of mutant. Maybe something that isn’t of this world.”

“An alien?”

Maggie didn’t answer.

She stopped at the entry to the tenth floor.

The stairwell door was ripped off its hinges. Claw marks littered both the door and its frame, showing that Lena was able to keep whatever was chasing her at bay; at least for a little while.

From the open doorway, Maggie was able to see the smashed glass at the end of the hall, leading to a balcony, which allowed a slight breeze to waft through the building.

Maggie shivered. She was sure this is where Lena earned her injuries. Injuries that proved to be fatal.

Maggie clenched her jaw.

“This feels wrong.” Alex materialized beside her. “We shouldn’t be doing this without Kara.”

Maggie reached out and gave Alex’s hand a comforting squeeze.

“She’s too close to this. You know that.” She turned her head away from the balcony and to her fiancée. “By the way you described how you found her; how she acted when she got to the DEO…” Maggie trailed off. “This would be the last straw, Alex. Seeing this would break her.”

Alex nodded sadly. “I know.” Her voice cracked.

Maggie guided them out onto the balcony. She began examining the shards of glass that haphazardly covered the ground. A few specks of blood covered some of the fragments. The detective called over an agent and had him bag the sample. Hopefully the blood wasn’t Lena’s. Hopefully it was her killer’s. Then the DEO could ID them. They could tell if this was done by a human or an alien.

“Any word from Winn?”

“Not yet,” Alex sighed. “It shouldn’t take him long to hack in, though.”

Surprisingly, Lena’s computer had been left behind in the destroyed office. Winn was decoding any information he could possibly find on there. Any information on who might have the motivation to kill Lena Luthor.

Unfortunately, that list was going to be long. A Luthor was already bound to have enemies, but Lena had enemies from all three sides—aliens, alien-sympathetic humans, and anti-alien humans. Aliens and alien sympathizers wanted her dead because of Lex; and anti-alien humans wanted her dead because she refused to follow in Lex’s footsteps and endorse their xenophobic ways.

“It _is—_ ” Maggie faltered, and her voice cracked, “ _was_ —Lena’s computer, Alex. It’s got to have advanced security on it. She was a wicked genius.”

Talking about Lena in past tense pained her, and she could see how tragically it affected Alex too. She still caught herself talking about Lena as if she were still alive. She even turned to make a jab at Lena more than once, only to have reality come crashing down on her again.

There were the two obvious answers about who did this to Lena: Lex and Lillian. It was fucked up how when Lena turned up dead the top two suspects were her brother and her mother. It made Maggie want to punch a wall (but preferrably them).

However, both those leads went to a dead end. Lex was in jail and had no way to communicate with anyone on the outside, and Lillian wasn’t even in the country. The only way Lillian could have done this would be through Cadmus, but they had been lying low ever since Lena and Kara took down their main base of operations. And if Lillian _had_ done it through Cadmus, it would be extremely hard to link the organization back to its leader.

Maggie ran a hand through her tangled locks in frustration.

“Take a break,” Alex whispered to her. She wrapped her arms around Maggie from behind and laid her chin on Maggie’s shoulder. “You’ve been at this all day. You’ll overwork yourself with this piled on top of your other open cases.”

Maggie turned to plant a gentle kiss on Alex’s forehead.

“I handed them off to Samson. This is my only case right now; it’s top priority.”

“Maggie!” Alex gasped. “You shouldn’t have done that. I know how you get when you take on a case you’re bound to solve. You never sleep. You don’t eat.”

“Alex,” Maggie interrupted, her tone sharp. “You and Kara aren’t the only ones that love— _loved_ —Lena.” She sighed, shoulders relaxing as she rested her chin atop Alex’s head. “I won’t rest until this is solved, and neither will you or Kara. Don’t lecture me on something that you’re going to turn right around and do. At least now I don’t have to deal with any other cases.” Her voice had lost its edge. “Promise not to leave me out of this?”

“Promise,” Alex mumbled.

“Even if it means life or death, I want to help. Got it?”

This time Alex hesitated for a beat before humming a reluctant affirmative.

“Good. Now you should go—be with your sister. She needs you right now more than I do.”

Alex sighed and untangled herself, moving to stand in front of Maggie.

“I know she does, it’s just—” Alex stopped short, opened her mouth again, then clomped it closed, exhaling heavily through her nose. She crossed her arms and hunched over, seemingly folding in on herself. After a second to collect her thoughts, she started again. “It’s just Kara looked so broken earlier—so lost. I-I don’t want to add salt to the wound. Seeing Lena dead is one thing, but,” Alex’s voice cracked and she cleared her throat, “but _hearing how it happened?_ ” She shook her head. “That’ll devastate her, knowing how much she suffered.

_“I'm scared, Mags.”_

Alex looked so small to her, hands grasping at her forearms like that, shoulders pulled in and tense as if they were holding up the sky. Maggie had no doubt she was—for Kara.

Maggie enveloped Alex in a hug. “It'll be okay. Kara’s a tough girl, she can fight through it. She’ll heal— _we’ll_ heal.”

* * *

Kara had lost so much. She had lost Krypton, then Kal when she finally arrived on Earth. He was too old for her to care for, and he had been raised human; without Kryptonian heritage to guide him. He was virtually a stranger to her. And when she finally got a piece of her home back through Astra, it was ripped cruelly from her with her aunt’s death.

Now she had lost Lena.

Alex was the only one left. She was a rock keeping Kara afloat in a raging river; a river that had already drowned everyone who had fallen in with her.

Kara could feel Alex’s presence next to the bed. There, with the comfort of Alex near her, Kara was able to doze for a few more minutes. She was convinced that if she had woken up alone, she would have lost herself in her grief.

Finally, Kara slowly opened her eyes to find Alex staring at her sorrowfully, hands holding a coffee mug in a death grip.

“Hey,” Alex greeted, voice strained. “Winn made coffee.” She raised her cup. “Want me to get you some?”

Kara began to shake her head. Coffee didn’t have an effect on her since she was alien, so there would be no point in drinking it to stay awake. But she didn’t _want_ to be alien right now. She wanted to be human.

So instead, she nodded. A cup of coffee would help keep her grounded to reality.

Alex stood from the chair placed next to her bed, and started to exit the room.

“Wait!” Kara shot out a hand, wrapping it around Alex’s wrist before she could get too far. She looked up pleadingly. “I don’t want to be alone.”

She cringed internally. She sounded so broken, so fragile…

 _Just like Lena_ , her traitorous mind hissed. _Mangled and shattered before your very eyes._

A pitiful sob weaseled its way past her lips at the thought.

Alex furrowed her brow with concern, mistaking her cry as one of protest about being left alone.

“I’ll force Winn to bring a cup then.”

Alex sat back down, and Kara relinquished her hold. She placed the mug down and pulled out her phone to text Winn. When the message was sent, she enveloped Kara’s hands in hers, giving them a comforting squeeze.

“He’ll be here soon.”

A heavy silence fell over them.

It wasn’t like it normally was, where both could sit in one another’s comforting presence and not utter a single word for hours. Alex was anxious. She kept shifting in her chair and staring at one place on the blanket. She wanted to say something—Kara could tell—but she was afraid to.

Both sisters snapped out of their thoughts when Winn arrived with a steaming cup of coffee. He handed it to Kara who graciously accepted it, immediately bringing the drink to her lips.

“Kara, I—” Winn began. “I’m so sorry…”

Kara lifted one of her shoulders in a halfhearted attempt at a shrug.

He gave a small nod, then turned to Alex. A hidden meaning passed between the two. They had a short, silent conversation.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Kara.

“What?” The Kryptonian’s brow crinkled as she snapped her gaze to her sister.

Alex looked away, ashamed.

“What’s going on? ” she asked again.

“She needs to know,” Winn urged.

Panic began to press down heavily on her chest. Every worst possibility flew through her head in the matter of seconds. She repeated herself, only to be ignored once more.

Finally, Alex spoke.

“Lena, she,” her sister’s voice was watery, “she didn’t die immediately.”

“What?” Kara’s brow furrowed. She looked quickly between Alex and Winn. Her hand gripped the rough blanket beneath her.

“She was pushed off a balcony, but didn’t die,” Alex leveled her gaze at Kara. “Her attacker brought her back up to her office and,” she stopped.

“And what, Alex?”

She took a second to respond.

“They left her there... to bleed out.”

 _They left her there to bleed out_ . Those words echoed in her head. _They left her there to bleed out._ A lump formed in her throat.

“I need to see her,” Kara pushed herself out of the bed. “I need to see Lena. I need—”

“Kara…” Alex reached out to grab her, but fell short.

“Don’t.” Kara looked pointedly at Alex, then turned to Winn, who was pretending like he was giving them some form of privacy. “Take me to her.”

She must have looked terrifying to him: stricken with grief; anger simmering dangerously beneath the surface of her pain. He immediately nodded and gestured for Kara to follow.

She ignored Alex’s weak protests and went after him. It didn’t take long for Alex to follow too.

Winn took them through many corridors, passing all different types of agents on the way. Every single one fell quiet as the hero passed. They all knew. And, once the trio was out of earshot, they began their whispers. Kara, of course, heard them. She listened to their pity, their scared imaginings. Some thought she might lose herself in her grief—might turn into what she was like on red kryptonite, but this time there would be no cure because this time Kara would be in full control.

They arrived at a steel door, and Winn paused to input a pin in the keypad. It opened, leading to a hallway with a singular long window and a lone door. No one was around.

They entered, and the steel door closed behind them.

He led them to the window, and then stopped. Winn stared at what was on the other side of the glass. Kara followed his gaze.

There, was Lena. Her body was covered with a white sheet, leaving her head uncovered. She was facing away from them, but Kara knew it was her.

“I’ll leave now,” he said.

He gave her a quick hug, whispering condolences in her ear, before disappearing the way they came.

Kara placed a hand on the glass separating them. She could feel Alex next to her, hovering close by but not quite touching.

“She put up one hell of a fight,” Alex said, breaking the fragile silence.

Kara didn’t respond. Of course Lena fought tooth and nail. She would never go down without a fight.

“She loved you,” she continued. “A lot.”

“She’s not dead.”

It was a wonder that Alex didn’t break her neck turning so quickly to face her sister.

“Don’t talk about her like she isn’t here…” Kara sounded so frail, voice strained. “Please.”

Alex faltered only slightly before correcting herself. “She loves you. A lot.”

Kara smiled sadly.

“Yeah,” she murmured. “She does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo... Is it as horrible as I think it is?


	3. (Falling to) Join the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena wakes up in an unknown place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops this took way longer than expected. I had half of this written within the week I posted the last chapter, but I hit a huge writer's block. Nothing looked good to me. I wasn't satisfied with what I was writing (and to be honest, I'm still not), and then school hit me like a mother. It's probably rushed and I haven't really gone through to edit. I may or may not go back through and repost this, depending on how I'm feeling about it tomorrow. Sorry it took me so long to write :/

Lena had always had a huge fear of heights. She knew that it was irrational, but that didn’t help the mind numbing fear that rendered her paralyzed whenever she saw the ground far, far below. 

She was falling; flailing through the air, trying to grasp hold of anything to halt her rapid descent. The wind howled, attacking her from all sides, clawing at her clothes and forcing its way into her mouth and down her throat, leaving her gasping.

Above her was the night sky, not a star to be seen. 

Maybe she would join the stars. 

She would be there, burning bright for eternity, but no one would ever gaze upon her glory. It would be snuffed out by the blinding fluorescent lights that plagued cities and towns.

And maybe that would be okay. Lillian would finally get what she wanted: a daughter she no longer had to think about. No one would miss her, save for maybe Kara.

And Kara would get over her, eventually. She would keep living—probably longer than anyone else she knew—and find someone else to love. She would move on. 

And maybe that would be okay.

Lena hit the ground, still dreaming of the stars, and, in the back of her mind, she thought of Krypton, and how Kara would now have two stars to look for in the sky, only to be met with darkness—

—And then Lena woke to dazzling white.

Her eyes shot open, and her back arched, a phantom pain striking against her spine. Remnants of wind tugged at her still, tickling her skin in its last minute attempt at pulling her back into the shadows of her nightmares.

She struggled, throwing a blanket off and with it, pitched her body over the side of a raised platform and onto the floor. 

The phantasm sent more tremors down her back. Her throat closed. She sat on her hands and knees, going rigid to fight back the spasms that wracked her body. The force of it pitched her forward. She lost her balance, falling into a fetal position on the cold, tiled floor. 

She couldn’t see. Everything was a blur of white as she tried to blink back tears. It kaleidoscoped her vision.

Lena dug nail-shaped crescents into her palms. To feel something. Any other pain but this. 

Her vision darkened around the edges. She was gasping like a fish out of water. Lena shook her head violently, trying to just  _ get it out.  _

She tugged at her hair, the quick, sharp pang of pain relieving her of her demons—just briefly—before sending her tumbling back into her own personal hell.

It felt like hours that she sat like that, curled up, trembling and weak on a freezing floor in a blindingly white room she didn’t recognize.

In reality, it must have only been a few minutes. 

Lena was just getting her breathing under control when the unmistakable smooth sound of a sliding door came from the other side of the room. Soft footsteps accompanied it.

She pushed herself off the ground with unsteady hands. Lena sat back on her knees, arms hanging limply by her sides. She lazily looked up, cool and collected; a sharp contrast to the mess she was only seconds before.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears.

A man had entered the small, white room. Behind him, the wall slid seamlessly closed once more.

The first thing she noticed were his engineering goggles. They were huge, covering the top half of his face. The lenses were a dark blue-green, and the incandescent lights reflected off of the smooth, flawless surface. Wires stuck out of them, curling around to the back of his head, which was covered in a tangled mop of scrappy black hair that limply framed his face. He had the beginnings of a defined jaw, but still had a chubbiness that gave him a babyish appearance. He wore torn jeans and a hole-ridden shirt—something Lena didn’t expect on someone with a high tech room such as this. 

The corners of his mouth twitched into a frown, and his head tilted slightly in a silent question. He seemed…  _ concerned _ . 

He thrust out his hand abruptly. Lena tensed. She did a quick scan of the room. A small cot. A pillow. Blankets. Smooth walls. He was skinny. Small. There wasn’t a visible way to open the door.

_ He was coming towards her, goggles eerily reflecting the light from the computer. All she could see was his silhouette in the darkness. _

“Your head,” he said, gaze fixed to a point on the far wall. She found herself relaxing in the wake of his smooth, silky voice. 

Lena reached up, feeling her temple. Her fingers met a warm, sticky substance, and when she pulled them back, they were coated with blood.

When had she done that?

Her gaze focused back on the man. In his hand, he held a small towel.

_ The man grabbed her arm and  _ pulled _. Her body jerked. She tumbled back and fell into his embrace. _

She was hesitant as she grabbed it from him. It was wet, and it felt cool when she pressed it against the self-inflicted wound. 

“I apologize for the unorthodox way I retrieved you.” He spoke slowly, his mouth forming the words precisely; delicately.    


“Might as well get this over with,” she drawled. 

His head snapped down at her sudden comment, as if he had only just realized she was there.

_ She broke free from his iron grip, dashing out of the office and into the stairwell. _

“What do you want?”

He opened his mouth quickly, then snapped it shut just as fast. 

_ The hounds snapped their jaws at her heels. She could feel their hot breath on her skin.  _

She raised an unimpressed eyebrow.    


“I do not want anything,” he finally said.

Lena scoffed and stood up. The man slowly followed her movements, mouth set in a concentrated line.

“Everyone wants something.”

“Maybe I am not everyone.”

Lena shrugged. “Maybe you aren’t everyone, but you’re definitely  _ someone _ .” She moved closer to him. “So let me ask you again: What. Do. You. Want.”

All he did was grin, showing off a perfect set of glistening white teeth. “You are smart. You can figure it out.”

_ The only way out was through the balcony. She ran toward it, barely managing to keep herself upright as she burst through the balcony doors and into the dead of night. _

Without another word, he turned around and began to walk toward the wall he entered from.

“You won't be the first person to try and get to Supergirl through me. I’m not as close to her as people think,” Lena called out to his retreating form.

He stopped. “But one might argue that you are  _ much  _ closer to the Girl of Steel’s…  _ softer _ side.”

Her heart dropped before the name even left his lips. 

“Kara Danvers.”

He waved a hand, wall opening at his command, and slipped through it, never once looking back.

As it closed, she caught a glimpse of gleaming red eyes leering at her from the other side.

_ She jumped. _

* * *

 

Time was unknown to her. She didn’t know how long it had been since he left. She didn’t know how long it had been since she woke up. She didn’t know how long it had been since she was taken.

She was shaking. Somehow—someway—he knew that Kara was Supergirl. He  _ knew _ . But how? It was impossible. No one would have told him. 

Lena gnawed on her lip, mind running a thousand miles a minute, until she tasted the coppery tang of blood on her tongue. She savored its bitter taste.

But then her heart sank into her stomach, and her blood ran cold. Did Kara even know she was gone? And—a dark part of her whispered—if she knew, would she even come to get her?

As soon as that thought passed through her, the weight of the world came crashing down. Lena knew that it wasn’t true, that  _ of course  _ Kara would come find her as quickly as possible, but that didn’t stop her traitorous mind from suggesting it and feeding that fear until it became tangible within the small room. It came to a point that, if she stood still enough, she could see the shadows of her doubts creeping in, threatening to overtake her with its dark depths. 

She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit there, waiting for Kara to rescue her. She couldn’t be a damsel in distress. She couldn’t stand to be helpless. 

Lena quickly stood up, bare feet slapping against the tile floor, and began to pace. The room itself was only about ten feet long and wide, so it didn’t give much room for her to move around, but she needed to do  _ something _ to take her mind off of her fears. She needed to find a way out.

She began to run a hand along the white walls. They were abnormally smooth; no cracks or alcoves or switches. The wall that the man had emerged and exited from had nothing. It was as smooth as the others. It was just a wall. There were no visible handles or keypads—not even any evidence that a door existed in the first place. There weren’t even any  _ cameras _ .

As Lena worked, looking for a way out, she began to think.

The man with the goggles. Who  _ was  _ he? He  _ knew _ that Kara was Supergirl;  _ knew  _ that getting to Lena would get to Supergirl; which made this whole situation a million times more dangerous. She had already mulled over the idea that someone had told him, but that was impossible. The only ones who knew were close friends and family.  _ I mean _ , Lena mused,  _ I figured out that she was Supergirl a few months into our friendship. She didn’t have to tell me _ .

Then, it dawned on her. If he knew, that meant he had to know Kara as  _ Kara _ . He had to know both sides of the Kryptonian to ever suspect that she was an alien.

Lena felt the underside of the cot.

So he had to either work at CatCo or...  _ Oh no _ .  _ No no no no no _ . What if he worked for the DEO? 

Lena began to search faster. 

There would be a mole in their ranks, and the whole system would threaten to fall apart. It would be disastrous. Kara’s identity would be put in danger. It would threaten the fragile veil that she had carefully constructed her whole life. Everything she had worked towards—everything she had accomplished—would be swept away and lost. It would be destroyed.

Lena straightened up from searching the floor. She eyed the sheets on the cot. Maybe… just maybe… 

She stalked over to it. She picked up the blanket and tugged on it. It resisted, but held firm. She smirked. 

Whoever said women were damsels in distress had never met a Luthor before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that bad pacing, characterization, and dialogue. Woo! Love myself.


End file.
